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I actually have considered streaming my inevitably disastrous attempts. I've watched enough runs that I think I know the theory but putting it into practice is another thing entirely. I'm supposed to get the controller this weekend so I'll probably give streaming a try at least once.

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As an aside to this, I started getting into these races because I was watching stuff from GDQx which happened a couple weeks ago. I completely forgot to mention it at all but one of the better runs was a Link to the Past/Super Metroid randomizer. If you're not familiar with that, it's a combination of both games where all the items are mixed between the two so that it's possible (and indeed extremely likely) to get SM items in LTTP and vice versa. Certain doors act as transitions between the two games allowing for some creative routing.

Yeah, LttP/Super Metroid randomisers are fascinating to watch speedruns of. Because the players don't know what they need, it works really well for races. Runners will make big, visible bets that something useful will be in an area of the game they otherwise can't do much in, compared to most speedruns where the only real chance comes down to execution or glitching. You get to see parts of the game that runners almost always avoid. Density of items ends up becoming a real factor - there are parts of both games that become way more important in a randomiser run because there's three or four items in the same room. It's a speedrun format where teams actually work: some of the most interesting runs I've seen have been 2v2 runs where the two runners work together to try and lock down the location of each important item so both can finish quickly. And the two games have very different structures, so there's a moment where runners get all the powerups they need to finish one side of the game and the other team can't.

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Yeah, LttP/Super Metroid randomisers are fascinating to watch speedruns of. Because the players don't know what they need, it works really well for races. Runners will make big, visible bets that something useful will be in an area of the game they otherwise can't do much in, compared to most speedruns where the only real chance comes down to execution or glitching. You get to see parts of the game that runners almost always avoid. Density of items ends up becoming a real factor - there are parts of both games that become way more important in a randomiser run because there's three or four items in the same room. It's a speedrun format where teams actually work: some of the most interesting runs I've seen have been 2v2 runs where the two runners work together to try and lock down the location of each important item so both can finish quickly. And the two games have very different structures, so there's a moment where runners get all the powerups they need to finish one side of the game and the other team can't.

There's some great variants and tournaments that randomizer allows and I love it. One of my favorites to watch is crowd control where the chat can actively mess with the runners by doing things like upgrading/downgrading their weapons, taking their ammo, making them have ice physics for a while, etc. Another randomizer variant is called keysanity which not only mixes up the items but also all the dungeon keys. This means that you can find something like an Ice Palace small key in Link's house or the Turtle Rock big key in the Swamp Palace. The game will tell you what the key unlocks when you pick it up but it still requires a super intimate knowledge of the game to complete and I'm just not up to that yet.

2 hours ago, Ben X said:

Do y'all have any particular recommendations for a good one of these to watch?

If you want a LTTP/SM run specifically, I recommend the one from GDQx. It's not a race but a co-op run where on person played the Zelda part and another played the Metroid part, passing the controller back and forth.

If you want good races, it's hard to recommend specific ones because they're frankly all really good. There's inevitably a moment that comes where both runners need one or two more items to get to "go mode" (the point where they have everything necessary to beat the game) and since you never know when that's about to happen it's always exciting when it does. That said, there was a summer keysanity tournament for LTTP and games 1 and 3 of the finals were amazing. Perhaps not coincidentally it features the same two runners who performed the LTTPR race from AGDQ 2018.

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And speaking of all that nonsense, I got my controller today. I have OBS setup and everything is ready to go. I plan to stream some tonight and I'll upload the recording later. I'll make a new thread so I don't overtake this one.

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I picked up Final Fantasy XV over the weekend. I was sold on that sick move where he teleports by throwing a sword.

I love the personality and character of the first few minutes! I love my crew of camping j-pop hunks, I like them cooking and taking photos together, but the core plot and all the FF lore is absolutely forgettable as hell! It's such a bummer when the plot gets moving and some lordship is lecturing me about the crystal of galamaore's whim or WHAT-EVER.

Please just delete the critical path of this game!! Roaming around on a nice road trip, casting fire spells and equipping a Bronze Bangle would be lovely. I don't want a B-tier anime with a bunch of nothing-people droning out exposition about kingdoms and legacies. I swear Final Fantasy stories used to open with a thief and a wizard sneaking onto a cruise ship to escape the cops. Where did it all go wrong?

I feel like Breath of the Wild is the medicine to this game's sickness. I hope the developers of Final Fantasy some day realize what they have.
...or just get better at writing, for the love of god.

(I've played Final Fantasy 7, 9 and 12)

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I think I'm at the 3rd act of Final Fantasy XV now. The writing is still very cringeworthy, but the game around it has really impressed me. They twist their open world and twist their characters in some heavy ways. I really feel like no game mechanic, place or character is safe, and I'm proud of the team for acheiving that atmosphere, especially with how games are made these days. By comparison, it makes GTA 5 feel like Lego pieces bobbing up and down in a static toy box.

Final Fantasy has always been a series where the protagonists will have their hopes dashed and spiral down into madness before the end, and I'm glad that they haven't lost that touch in all these years. Even though I wish other parts of the storytelling would evolve, this team does really care, and still pushes themselves.

Semi-related, I read this article on "designing for coziness" recently and it really inspired me:

I can retroactively see games that were thinking about this now, and FFXV is definitely one of them. I also saw a recent trailer for Pokemon Sword and Shield which showed setting up a tent, camping with ur boys, cooking curry together and discovering recipes... lots of mechanics lifted DIRECTLY from FFXV. For some reason I can't feel 100% happy about that.